Swiss veteran Bruno Kernen retires at 35

Bruno Kernen, one of the glorious veterans of the Swiss ski team, announced Friday his decision to retire after a 20-year international career on the junior and World Cup tours.
    The former downhill world champion (Sestriere 1997) and Olympic bronze medalist (2006 also in Sestriere) turned 35 on July 1 and decided afterward it was time to open a new chapter in his life.

WENGEN, Switzerland — Bruno Kernen, one of the glorious veterans of the Swiss ski team, announced Friday his decision to retire after a 20-year international career on the junior and World Cup tours.
    The former downhill world champion (Sestriere 1997) and Olympic bronze medalist (2006 also in Sestriere) turned 35 on July 1 and decided afterward it was time to open a new chapter in his life.
    Kernen survived a terrible crash in March at the end of the downhill of the Audi FIS Ski World Cup Finals at Lenzerheide, Switzerland, after straddling a gate with his right ski, but he didn’t totally recover from this accident. The champion from nearby Thoune, south of Berne, suffered a bad concussion, a broken nose as well as multiple injuries to his right knee, including a torn inside ligament.
    He underwent several surgeries in the following days and weeks, yet in May doctors found that the cartilage in his right knee was also badly damaged. His health problems are part of his decision to step down after a long and successful career crowned by five medals at Olympics and World Championships, including a bronze at the 2007 worlds at Are, Sweden.
    “I feel fine right now but I’m not sure that my right knee would handle tough conditions and I don’t want to take extra risks and jeopardize my future,” Kernen explained in Wengen, where he made his announcement. “It would not make sense for me to try training a while to check my knee and then stop in a few months after finding out it can’t handle it anymore. I still feel great passion for ski racing and I was still aiming to achieve some dreams such as a victory at Kitzbühel, but I also have to prepare for my future and take great care of my health.” 
    The Rossignol champion, who had raced since 1990 on the World Cup tour and amassed 282 World Cup starts, celebrated major victories in downhill at Veysonnaz (1996) and Wengen (2003). The Swiss speed specialist also reached four podiums in medal events from 1997 to 2007 and clinched gold in downhill in 1997. He became one of the most popular Swiss athletes in recent years.
    Kernen may have another — a more private reason — to give up ski racing now. In November, his girlfriend Yeliz Gürlan will give birth to their first child — certainly a great way to start a new life.
    Kernen also explained that his father too advised him to give up competition as long as he is still pretty healthy. “My dad always gave me great advice and I took time to really think it over last spring,” he said. “After my crash, my first goal was to get back on the tour and race again. I just could not imagine ending my career on such a sad note. I still felt fire burning in me and I was ready to suffer in training. But then I also thought that I would risk a lot if I would not be totally fit at the season start. I had more than a dozen knee operations and it has been tough to come back.”
    Interestingly enough, Kernen went to the start of the Lauberhorn course in Wengen to put his skis on the famous nail to corroborate his retirement. “It’s a good place to do this, I enjoyed my most significant triumph here in January 2003 when I won that event after a long series of frustrating races,” he said. “It was really special to win here in my home region and in front of my supporters. I must say that I reached so much in my career and I learned so much from racing. Competition is a great life-school and I’ll always benefit from that fantastic experience.
    Kernen is still not sure about his next step but he looks confident about his future. “For the moment, I can sit back and relax for a while — it’s nice too,” he said.
    It’s definitely a meaningful chapter of Swiss and international ski racing that is closed with Kernen’s departure, yet he will remain a true example of fairness and sportsmanship for the future generation.